This invention relates to staged combustion of fuel and partial oxidation of fuel.
Numerous approaches for improving the thermal performance of combustion turbine power generation systems have been proposed since the early 1950s when combustion turbines were first applied for stationary power generation. Alternative approaches range from advanced topping and bottoming cycles, to advanced turbine firing conditions. Some of these approaches have been put into practice to reach the current level of performance that combustion turbine power generation has evolved to today. The prevalent factor enhancing performance has been increases in firing conditions (temperatures and pressures) through advances in airfoil design, materials and cooling methods. Cycle variations are also being developed to improve system performance in contrast to hardware improvements, such as evaporative cooling cycles, recuperative cycles, intercooled cycles, humid air cycles, reheat cycles, advanced bottoming cycles, and elevated steam bottoming conditions.
Many proposed approaches for advanced combustion turbine power cycles have been rejected as being unworkable or uneconomical, and some have not yet been developed sufficiently to be verified, demonstrated and commercialized. Therefore, a need exists for new, viable approaches for improved power generation.